


La Fleur de la Mort - Memory: Red

by CopperCable



Series: La Fleur de la Mort [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: WIP, ambiguous reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28271469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CopperCable/pseuds/CopperCable
Summary: Last night was wonderful… you think. To be honest, you’re trying to put all of the details back together as you wake up. But one thing keeps taking your attention: a dead flower on your pillow. Where did it come from, why do you still have it, and why does it feel so familiar? Time to put the pieces back together and figure out who is responsible for this “gift”.
Series: La Fleur de la Mort [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071650
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	La Fleur de la Mort - Memory: Red

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work-in-progress of a very ambitious project I had in mind: a story based on choose-your-own-adventure stories for romancing the skelebroes! It’s nowhere near finished, I have been working on it since before Bonely Hearts Club (and I didn’t even know that was a thing until it was released!), and I’m not sure when it will be finished, but at least this entry is more or less complete. Consider it a taste-test for now, to see if I can write some interesting skellies that people may want to romance~  
> Also, shoutout to Hansama (@han__sama on IG and Twitter, @hansama on Tumblr) for the inspiration for this project! Go check out her Skeletober art and you’ll see how I was motivated to write this~

The party was in full swing, and had been for a few hours now. You had met a fair few friends at this point and exchanged pleasantries with several guests, enjoyed the atmosphere of the event, and even bid farewell to some early leavers. To be honest, a moment of respite sounded like a good idea to you, but it was hard to find a relaxing place among the main event. Instead, you find yourself resting on the wall near the hors d’oeuvres. 

A familiar drawl surprises you. “you’re looking a bit bushed,” remarks Sans from beside you. You never even noticed that he had arrived. You look down and smile at him. His appearance is just as messy as when you saw him arrive.

“I am,” you admit. “How about you?”

“oh you know me,” he replies. “I’m always bone-tired.” He shrugs as he grins, and you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“Come on, that was weak,” you tell him. He shrugs again and leans back against the wall next to you. 

“i was thinking of slipping into one of the rooms out by the back hallway,” he mutters while watching the crowd, just loud enough for you to hear. “seems like a good place to catch my breath, y’know? but I don’t wanna leave my bro just yet.”

You watch the same crowd as Sans and nod. It is no secret that he is trying to give you a hint, one that you are thankful for. He looks over at you again with his perpetual smile. “anyways, I’m gonna grab some more food,” he says. “i’ll see you around, kiddo.”

You thank Sans and bid him farewell. Now seems as good a time as any find a secluded room like he suggested. Without knowing where you are going, you quietly make your way through a door off to the side of the main ballroom and wander the hall you find yourself in. There are a handful of guests out here as well, chatting amongst themselves; they must have needed a break to hear their conversations instead of the clamour inside the ballroom. You nod your head to the other guests as you walk down the red carpet, acting as if you know exactly where you were going.

You turn a corner to find an almost identical hallway, but this one is completely empty. Perfect! Now you can enter the nearest door and spend some time alone to gather your thoughts. You walk to a large pair of double doors and push them ajar, slip in and close them again. Finally, the night was quiet…

“How’s it goin’, toots?”

The voice catches you by surprise. You spin around and press yourself against the doors, trying to make yourself as small as possible to the person speaking to you. Instead of going unnoticed, you find yourself staring at several monsters and humans sitting around a table, all of them holding a pair of cards. You walked yourself right into a poker game, and sitting on the opposite side of the table sat a familiar skeleton with a golden tooth glinting in the light, with a large pile of betting chips in front of him.

Red looks rather dapper tonight, sporting a crimson dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, along with a thin black tie tucked under a pinstripe waistcoat. A glowing red flower sits nestled in the breast pocket, and a matching pinstripe trilby finishes the look. Despite the fact that skeletons’ had barely noticeable eyes, and despite the fact that it was night time and the room was dimly lit, Red had a pair of large aviator sunglasses resting upon his hat, which made no sense to you because he didn’t have a nose or ears to hold them on his face even if he wanted to wear them.

You clear your throat and greet the players politely, unsure of what to do next. Thankfully, the Underfell resident can see that you are now in a bind. “Why don’t you grab a seat and come join me?” You nod quickly and make your way around the table, with all eyes following you as you move. You pick up a chair as quietly as possible and put it just behind Red’s shoulder.

The other players slowly get back into their game, while Red tosses his cards on the table and turns to face you. “You doin’ okay?” His voice sounds cocky and sincere at the same time, and it begins to put you at ease.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you reply, “I was just looking for some space away from the party.” You huddle into the chair a bit, still somewhat embarrassed from having interrupted the poker game. Red chuckls.

“Well you picked a helluva room to sneak into. Half these guys probably thought you were gonna try t’ bust ‘em for gamblin’.” He nods his head back at the table, and you watch the various monsters and humans chattering amongst themselves, tossing chips into the middle of the table and watching one another. “You know how to play?” Red asks.

You are not unfamiliar with the game, but it’s not something you consider yourself a professional at. You nod and continue watching the players. The dealer flips over a card and one of the players groans before tossing his cards in. Red chuckles again and starts turning back to the table, but quickly looks back at you.  
  
“Why don’t you put these on? I don’t need ‘em tonight.” He takes the sunglasses from his hat and offers them to you. You take them from his thin skeletal fingers, bewildered. How are you supposed to see in this room with sunglasses on? Regardless, you put them on and, looking around the room, barely hold in a gasp.

You can clearly see the cards that everyone is holding. Bright red hearts and glistening red diamonds burn in the back of some cards, while others have pulsing spades and ashen clubs. The symbols float above cards that have been hidden by others, so you can clearly see what everybody has in their hands. As you look at the deck, however, the cards appear blank; you cannot see what they are until they are flipped onto the table.

You do your best to remain quiet and hide away from the other players, in case they start to realise that you can see more than you should. As the dealer flips one last card, some of the players toss in their hands, including Red. The winner of this deal is a giant monster, barely able to fit on one seat, who you could see had a flush of clubs before he had even revealed it.

You look at Red as he flashes you a grin. You wonder if he can use this ability by himself, without the need for glasses... but if he could, why would he have them in the first place? You ponder the mystery as the players continue their game.

Despite having walked into a tense encounter, you find yourself wrapped up in the poker game playing out in front of you. Red is clearly a superior player; you are sure that the fact he has the same face almost all the time certainly helps to keep his hand a secret from the others. The pile of chips in front of him grows at a decent rate, even if he only won a fraction of the hands.

As time passes, some players finally run out of chips and end up leaving the room. One human looked like he was about to throw a fit when he was beaten by Red- a pair of Kings over a pair of Queens- but some looks from the other remaining players seemed to remind him of his manners. He stormed out in a huff, leaving only three players left: a human, a monster, and Red.

The hands seem to move more quickly now; the players were quick to fold if they had nothing, rather than letting the hand play out. But by the end of it, the last two players went all in against Red and his stack of chips. You could already see the outcome, but your heart was still in your throat. 

The monster flips their cards- two pair, Jacks and Kings. If it were any other hand, it would have been a top contender to win, but it was just short of the human's hand- full house, Jacks over Kings. Even that hand was exceptional, and yet it still paled in comparison to Red's hand. You watch as he places down a Queen and a 10, revealing a straight flush. While it was not the legendary Royal Flush, it was still an amazing bout of luck that Red took the hand.

All three players rise to their feet and shake hands, no hard feelings being shown between them. The human and the monster chatted with one another as they left the room. Red thanks the dealer, slips him a stack of cash and turns to face you as the dealer cleans up the table.

"So how was it, doll? Hope it wasn't too excitin'?" You chuckle as Red rests his skull on his hand.

"No, it was fun to watch," you reply. It gave you a chance to recharge your social battery, and it was definitely entertaining. "I still wasn't expecting you to be in here, though. Do the Kings and Queen know this is going on?"

Red shifts in his seat. "King Asgore and Queen Toriel don't know about it, no. But my King- the Mad King- was the one that asked me t’ be here." The look of surprise on your face tells Red to keep going. "These were business partners, Underground lords, maybe even a mafia boss or two. I was just here makin' sure that nobody walked away without rememberin' who's at the top of the ladder."

That was a lot to take in: Mad King Asgore had ties to the mafia? It shouldn't be as surprising as it is, considering that the kingdom of Underfell was known for its shadier and more brutal methodologies. But one fact strikes you as most peculiar...

"Why did the Mad King want you here in particular?" you ask. Red looks at you for a moment, his face unmoving.

"Because I'm good at what I do," he replies. You giggle at the joke, but as you keep watching his motionless face, you start to realise that he is not kidding. There are many secrets to this skeleton that you aren't sure if you want to know about… but there’s something about his face, his smile, that keeps pulling you in closer.

As the thought starts to burrow into your mind, Red puts his hand on your shoulder and stands up. "C’mon," he says, "I'll escort you back to the party. I know a shortcut, after all." He offers you his hand and a wink, both of which you happily accept. 

You hold his hand as he leads you to a door just behind you. It is clearly not the door you came in from, but as he opens the door, the ballroom appears before your eyes once more. That doesn't make any sense! You look at Red, clearly shocked.

"See?" he remarks. "Shortcut." You look back at the ballroom as you cross the threshold, and quickly look back at the... nothing. There is no poker table, no door, nothing to ever suggest you had been away from the party at all. You stare blankly at the ballroom again, and suddenly feel a pinch on your nose as the room grows brighter.

"Don't mind me, just gonna grab these back before ya look funny." Red takes the sunglasses carefully from your face, folds them closed and hangs them from the open neckline of his shirt. You can hardly process the fact that you are back in the ballroom, and now you have to look at this handsome skeleton improving his already distinguished look?

It's all too much for you. You turn away as you hide a blush. "Uh, thanks for... looking after me," you stammer. "I need a drink! I'll go get a drink! See you!" You walk away a bit too quickly and wave back at Red as you head off to the bar at the back of the ballroom.

"Catch ya later, toots!" Red calls back. You don't turn around again, lest he see your face as red as the glowing flower on his chest.


End file.
